However it was Ecuador that produced the first shock of the World Cup in the tournament's second match when they beat Poland 2-0 with goals in each half by Carlos Tenorio and Agustin Delgado in Group A.
Opening ceremony
The opening ceremony before the match was given a touch of glamour when Pele, a three-time World Cup winner with Brazil, carried the golden trophy into the stadium with German supermodel Claudia Schiffer.
But Argentinian legend Diego Maradona went back on his promise to take part in the ceremony, refusing to join a parade of former winners despite being in
the stadium.
"I didn't come to Germany to see Pele and Franz Beckenbauer, but to enjoy myself with some great football," Maradona told journalists.
A huge security operation swung into action as Germany began hosting its first World Cup since West Germany organised the finals in 1974.
Surveillance planes were patrolling the skies, 250,000 police are on duty across the country and 7,000 soldiers are on standby, manning chemical and biological warfare units and emergency hospitals.